Author: Alex Diaz-Granados
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Songs Ms. Owen Taught Me (A Sunday Musicale)
Sunday, June 28, 2026, June 28, 2026 – Orlando, Florida In loving memory of Ms. Elizabeth Joan Owen (September 8, 1929 – December 28, 2025) If music be the food of love, play on; Give me excess of it, that, surfeiting, The appetite may sicken, and so die. That strain again! it had a dying…
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Summer Heat, a Mentor’s Passing, and a Memento Mori
Saturday, June 27, 2026 – Orlando, Florida It is brutally hot outside. According to my Microsoft Weather app, the temperature here in my corner of Orange County is already 91°F (33°C) under partly sunny skies. The humidity is 56%, the wind is barely stirring out of the east-southeast at 4 MPH (7 Km/H), and the…
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Remembrance: Elizabeth Joan Owen: September 8, 1929 – December 28, 2025
Friday, June 26, 2026 — Orlando, Florida “The mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.” — William Arthur Ward Ms. Owen was my mentor. She was special — an amazing chorus director and someone I always wondered about long after graduation. I am saddened to hear of…
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On Writing and Storytelling: Why ‘An Innocent Man’ Had to Score “This Night” in ‘Comings and Goings’
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in Alex Diaz-Granados, Amazon, Amazon Music, Amazon Spain (Amazon.es), Amazon UK, An Innocent Man (1983), An Innocent Man (song), Billy Joel, Classical music, Comings and Goings (Short Story), Comings and Goings: The Art of Being Seen, Creative Writing, Kindle, Kindle Direct Publishing (KDP), Ludwig van Beethoven, Music, Music & Concert Specials, Pop Music, Reunion Duology, Reunion: A Story, Reunion: CodaOn Writing and Storytelling: Why An Innocent Man Had to Score “This Night” Some choices in storytelling are deliberate. Others are instinctive—felt before they’re understood. When I wrote Comings and Goings, I knew Jim and Kelly needed music playing in the background of their brief, luminous night together. I also knew it had to be…
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On Being Quoted (Unexpectedly) by an Editorial Board
On Being Quoted (Unexpectedly) by an Editorial Board Every once in a while, the universe tosses a small, pleasant surprise your way — the kind that makes you blink twice, lean back in your chair, and mutter, “Well, how about that?” This week, mine came in the form of a quote. Not just any quote,…
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When a Friend Publishes a Book: Why Honest Reviews Matter
When a Friend Publishes a Book: Why Honest Reviews Matter One of the trickiest situations a writer or reviewer can find themselves in is this: a friend publishes a book, and you’re asked — directly or indirectly — to review it. On the surface, it sounds simple. You read the book, you write your thoughts,…
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Book Review: ‘Perfect’ (2026)
Perfect By: P.J. GudkaPublisher: Wild Ink PublishingYear of Publication: 2026Genre(s): Murder Thriller, Psychological Fiction, Psychological Thriller From the Publisher A mother protecting her son.A boy spiraling into darkness.A girl who never stood a chance. Sally thinks she’s succeeded in breaking generational curses until she finds out her eldest son, James, is the prime suspect in…
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A Musicale for a Hot Sunday Afternoon (Summer Solstice Edition)
Sunday, June 21, 2026, Orlando, Florida On this hot and potentially stormy summer afternoon, I don’t have much to write about, so how about a Sunday musicale for the Summer Solstice?
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Hot Weather, (Potentially) Higher Royalties
Saturday, June 20, 2026, Orlando, Florida As the temperature climbs—currently 92°F (33°C) on this sweltering, storm-threatening Saturday—so may the royalties from my Jim Garraty stories. Behold!
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A Fateful Morning in June of 1983: An Excerpt from ‘Reunion: Coda’
The morning of June 17, 1983, rose slowly over South Miami, pressing its familiar heat against the city long before the sun cleared the horizon. It was the kind of summer day that promised sweat, glare, and the restless energy of endings. Across the city, seniors from the Class of ’83 were waking up to…
